Boot-crimp



UNITED sTATEs PATENT onrion.

GEO. FETTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOOT-LCRIlVIP.

' Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,353, dated March 4, 1856. 'Y

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE FETTER, of the city of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Mode of CrimpingBoots; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing and namely from a position in which both legl and foot arestretched out comparatively straight to a position in which they arebent together so that the outer edges of both combined may form anoutline similary to that presented by the top of the human foot andfront of the leg; this being the shape to which it is necessary toreduce the leather in crimping.

Onto the pin which connects the leg and foot of my crimping apparatustogether I hang a guide which is caused, by a screw in connection withthe foot, to radiate and assume different positions. This guide isfurnished with a 'slide on the opposite sides of which are pincers, theslide with its pincers being caused to traverse the guide by means of ahandled screw.

When the leg and foot of my apparatus have been bent by means of theregulating screw to their straightest position, I bend the V leatherover their front edges in such a manner that each corner (left incutting the leather to the required shape) may be secured to one of thepair of pincers, on each side of the traversing slide, and then move thelatter in the radial guide so as to stretch the leather comparativelytight over that point of my apparatus which represents the instep. Ithen by means of the above men-` tioned regulating screw bend the footof the apparatus until it vassumes the desired position in respect tothe leg, stopping at intervals during the operation in order to rub downwith the peen of a hammer or other hard and smooth instrument thecreases leather and the stretching of other parts (necessarily involvedin crimping) is Vaccomp-lished with such regularity and precision thatno wounding, cracking, or other deterioration of the said leather takesplace as in ordinary crimping machines, thus enabling me to crimp theupper leathers offboots of v the finest quality which have been hithertoeffected by the old and well known hand process.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention I will now prooeedto describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the drawing which forms a part of this specificationFigures 1, 2 and 3 are views of my improved boot-crimping apparatus,showing the different positions which it may be brought to assume. Fig.4 a transverse section of the apparatus on the line l, 2 and showing theconstruction of the radial guide and traversing pincers. Fig. 5 atransverse section of the leg on the line 3, 4. Fig. 6 a transversesection of thek foot on` the line 5, 6. Fig. 7 a detached view of theregulating screw and its swivel nut as co-nnected with the foot and leg.Fig. 8 a detached View of the screw and its nut for regulating the-position of the radial guide.

The same letters of reference allude to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

A is the leg and B the foot of my improved crimping apparatusrepresented in s the present instance as constructed hollow of thinmetal (see sectional views Figs. 5 and 6). This leg and foot are jointedat the instep in the following manner. The rounded portions b of the twoplates which form the sides of the foot tit between the ends of theplates which form the sides of the'leg A, the latter overlapping theformer but having their edges beveled olf in such a manner that theexterior may present as smooth and unbroken a surface as possible.

To the inside of the plates which compose the sides of`the leg A aresecured the brackets e e the ends of which penetrate into the spacebetween, and fit against the inside of the plates which form the foot B.Be-

tween the brackets e, e ts the end .ofithe radial guide C and throughthe whole, that is through the plates which compose the foot through thebrackets e c and through the end of the radial guide passes the pin Z soas to joint the leg and foot together 1n such a manner that whateverposition they are caused to assume in respect to each other the extremepoint a@ of the leg is always in close and immediate contact with theedge of the round portion b of the foot. It should be understood thatalthough the pin Z serves to connect the guide C to the foot and leg itsradial movement is entirely independent.

From the plates of the footB project two curved brackets f, f, betweenthe ends of which swivels the block g (see Fig. 7 and into this block isriveted the end of the screw D in such a manner as to easily turntherein. This screw passes through a nut z which is situated between andallowed to swivel in the ends of the brackets i, i, which project fromthe plates forming the sides of the leg A, the end of the screw beingfurnished with a handle lo on turning which, in one direction or theother, the leg and foot may be made to assume dierent positions inrespect to each other.

In the radial guide C is an oblong slot, in the opposite ends of whichthe screw E has its bearings, this screw passes through the nut F whichis arranged to slide in the oblong slot. and which (on each side of theguide) is furnished with a circular disk m, the external faces of thedisks being grooved or serrated. In contiguity with the disks m mof thesliding nut F are the washers n a which have also grooved or serratedfaces. Between these washers and the disks are secured by thethumb-screws p, p, the corners of the leather to be crimped, (see Fig.4) so that by operating the handle g of the screw E they become thetraversing pincers above alluded to, and as such serve the purpose ofdrawing the leather more or less tight over the instep. To one side ofthe radial guide C is connected the joint r into which the end of thescrew G is so riveted as to turn freely therein. This screw passesthrough a nut awhich swivels in the brack* ets t, t, projecting from theplates forming the sides of the foot B, so that by turning this screwthe position of the radial guide in respect to the foot B may be variedat pleasure.

Operation: The apparatus above described being stretched out to itsutmost extent by the regulating screw D assumes the position shown inFig. l. The leather previously cut to the required shape is now bentover the beveled edge of the leg and foot, and the corners of theleather (left by the cutting) secured one on each side of the apparatusbetween the washers n, n, and disks m m of the sliding nut F which istraversed, by the screw E, in the guide C so as to stretch the leathermoderately tight over the instep. The screw D is now brought intooperation so that the foot B may be bent partially upward which-causesthe leather to collect in small regularl and uniform folds or curves atthe instep, these are now readily rubbed down with the peer of a hammeror other smooth instrument. The bending upward of the foot and rubbingout of the creases is continued until the instrument assumes theposition shown in Fig. 3 when the leather has been reduced to therequired shape.

During the above operation the leather is occasionally stretched tighterover the instep by the traversing pincers and should the pull of thelatter on the leather be found to take an unsuitable direction it iseasily regulated by turning the screw G which alters the radial guide Cso that its traversing pincers may act more advantageously on theleather.

In crimping boots it is absolutely necessary that the leather in orderto assume the form required must in some parts be stretched or expandedand in other parts condensed and to accomplish this expansion andcondensation with such regularity and uniformity as to avoid thewounding of the fibers or other deterioration of the leather has been myaim in designing the above apparatus.

In the various machines for crimping boots it is usual to force theleather over a crimping board permanently formed to the shape requiredand such is the effect of this opera-tion on the leather that the'vbestclass of boots are at present crimped by the old fashioned processof hand labor.

The gradual bending of the foot and leg of my apparatus, with itsoverlaid leather, together with the gradual stretching of the sameoverthe instep, and the facility of giving this stretching in the mostadvantageous direction cause the expansion and condensation to takeplace with such regularity that the leather will assume the requiredshape without any4 deterioration to its bers.

Although I have shown the instrument as constructed entirely of metal itwill be easily seen that the greater portion of both the foot and legmay be made of hard wood with joints and screws and other parts made ofmetal.

I do not desire to claim the method herein described of changing therel-ative position of the foot and leg by the regulating screw D and itsappendages, as other mechanical devices for accomplishing the same endmight be substituted, but

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The crimpingof the upper leathers of boots by confining and submitting them to theleg A and footJ B the Whole being arranged action of the leg A and footB, the said leg and Constructed substantially in the manner and footbeing jointed together at the instep and for the lpurpose herein setforth.

and operated n the manner set forth 0r any GEORGE FETTER. equivalent tothe same. VitneSses:

2. The radial adjustable guide C with its HENRY HowsoN7 traversingpincers in combination with the /VILLIAM E. WALTON.

